BUZZ-U.S. STOCKS ON THE MOVE-Pier 1 Imports, Navient, 3D Systems

Reuters Staff

5 Min Read

(For faster updates on individual market-movers, Eikon users please use search string "STXBZ US"; for the Day Ahead newsletter, link.reuters.com/mex49s; for the Morning News Call newsletter, link.reuters.com/nex49s) Wall Street began the last trading week of the year in negative turf, as the oversupply pressure on crude oil prices showed no signs of abating. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.25 percent at 17,507.48, the S&P 500 was down 0.35 percent at 2,053.78 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.39 percent at 5,028.866.

** CHIMERIX INC, $6.85, -80.74 pct

The drug developer said its oral antiviral drug for the treatment of a certain kind of infection in stem cell transplant patients did not meet the main goal in a late-stage study.

** ICONIX BRAND GROUP INC, $5.8402, -21.61 pct

The owner of Umbro and Lee Cooper brands said it received an order of investigation from the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission related to the accounting for the formation of certain joint ventures.

** ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI LTD, $7.12, -4.69 pct

** BARRICK GOLD CORP, $7.58, -3.07 pct

** SILVER STANDARD RESOURCES INC, $5.215, -3.60 pct

** GOLDCORP INC, $11.75, -3.37 pct

Gold and silver miners’ U.S.-listed shares were down as prices of precious metals fell.

** CONOCOPHILLIPS, $47.4, -2.45 pct

** BP PLC, $31.66, -1.43 pct

** OIL STATES INTERNATIONAL INC, $27.75, -5.68 pct

** PARKER DRILLING CO, $1.95, -9.72 pct

Shares of oil, gas and related companies down as Brent hovered around its 11-year low. Oil fell to around $37/barrel, pressured by excess supply that has led to prices more than halving since the downturn began in mid-2014.

** VALEANT PHARMACEUTICALS INTERNATIONAL INC, $102.21, -10.43 pct

The Canadian drugmaker said a group of company executives will take over in an interim capacity, until CEO Michael Pearson returns from medical leave.

** FREEPORT-MCMORAN INC, $6.99, -7.66 pct

The miner’s co-founder, James Moffett, will step down as chairman and quit its board, months after the company added two directors under pressure from billionaire investor Carl Icahn.

** PIER 1 IMPORTS INC, $4.76, -8.46 pct

The home decor and furniture seller is among many retailers suffering from weak store traffic.

** PSIVIDA CORP, $4.7939, +9.70 pct

The drugmaker plans to file for European marketing approval of its rare disease drug, Medidur, for chronic non-infectious uveitis, an inflammation in the back of the eyes.

** PLANET PAYMENT INC, $3.08, +6.57 pct

The payment processor expands its share repurchase authorization by about $2.1 million, adding to $3.9 million that remained available as of Dec. 21.

** 3D SYSTEMS CORP, $9.79, -6.76 pct

** STRATASYS LTD, $25.47, -4.93 pct

3D printer maker 3D Systems said it discontinued production of consumer printer Cube to focus on more profitable models for professionals. Many companies, along with rival Stratasys, had heralded consumer 3D printers as revolutionary consumer products but growth has fallen short of expectations.

** WEIGHT WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC, $18.4, +2.22 pct

The weight management company released advertisements on Christmas Eve in the United States and the UK featuring Oprah Winfrey. Media mogul Winfrey said in October she would buy a 10 percent stake in the company, join its board and feature in advertisements.

** NAVIENT CORP, $11.3544, -9.96 pct

The student loan servicing company said credit facilities of its unit, HICA Education Loan Corp, would be cut to about $5 billion from about $10.7 billion for the period between Dec. 22, 2015 and Oct. 31, 2016.

** ROVI CORP, $17.9496, +13.18 pct

The digital entertainment provider renewed worldwide license agreement with Sony Corp. The multi-year deal will continue to give Sony license to use Rovi’s entertainment discovery patent portfolio for its devices.

** TRANSOCEAN LTD, $12.285, -5.35 pct

Transocean, one of the world’s largest offshore drilling companies, said on Monday that Shell had opted to terminate its contract for the harsh environment semisubmersible Polar Pioneer before the expiration in July 2017.